You will be delighted when you sink your teeth into these Gluten Free Swiss Brunsli Cookies! They boast sweet chocolate flavor and have the right amount of chewy, soft, and tender. These brunsli cookies are naturally gluten free too!
Jump to:
Mr. Fearless Dining has a cousin that lives right outside of Zurich. It has been a few years since we have seen her, but I will always remember the cookies she would make around the holiday time. I have managed to talk her into sharing her beloved recipe with me. Now, it's my turn to share it with you. (Don't worry, she knows!)
Everything about these star-shaped brunsli cookies is amazing! They have a slight nuttiness to them that leaves a lasting impression. If you love cookies as much as we do, here are some of my best Gluten Free Holiday Cookie Recipes to try.
If you love these gluten free Swiss brunsli cookies, check out some of my gluten free cookie recipes.
My family has shared a lot of delicious European cookie recipes with me. You will want to try these Gluten Free Pfeffernusse Cookies too!
Ingredient Notes:
- Almond Flour - I highly recommend using almond flour and not almond meal. Almond flour is milled to be finer, so you don't get the grittiness. I highly recommend Anthony's Blanched Almond Flour, as it is also blanched to remove the peels.
- Chocolate - I used shaved Ghirardelli chocolate, but you can use any ground chocolate or Ghirardelli Dark Chocolate Melting Wafers.
- Eggs - Use size large.
Recipe Step-By-Step Directions:
Step 1: Add your chocolate flakes/shavings to a large microwave-safe
Step 2: Melt your chocolate in your microwave. I suggest 20-second intervals, stirring between each interval, to avoid burning your chocolate.
Step 3: Add the egg whites to a
Step 4: Make sure your egg whites are very whipped. Here you can see how the mixture makes stiff peaks.
Step 5: Gently fold the almond flour, sugar, and chocolate mixtures into the egg whites.
Step 6: Wrap the cookie dough in plastic and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
Step 7: Roll the cookie dough out to ¼ inch thickness and use a star-shaped cookie cutter to cut out star cookies.
Place on a parchment paper-lined
Optional dust the cookies with powdered sugar. You may also love these Gluten Free Cinnamon Sugar Cookies.
Recipe FAQ:
The cookies are also known as Basler Brunsli. They are well known for their tender, soft texture and spicy, nutty flavor. These gluten free Swiss brunsli cookies are famous in Switzerland.
They are a delicious treat that is typically served during Christmas. They traditionally have spices like cinnamon in them as well as cocoa. You will find them cut into heart shapes frequently.
Store the gluten free Swiss brunsli cookies in an airtight container. Make sure to keep them away from extreme heat, like a dishwasher or in direct sunlight. They will last 3-5 days if they are correctly stored.
The best way to prevent the brunsli cookies from breaking is by allowing them to cool for 5 minutes on the baking sheet. This will enable them to stick together and harden enough to move without tearing.
Yes, you can freeze these gluten free Swiss brunsli cookies. Lay them flat on a
*If you are making these around the holidays, you will want to check out all of these delicious Gluten Free Christmas Cookies recipes.
More Gluten Free Holiday Cookies
- These gingerbread sandwich cookies are so good. Give this Gluten Free Gingerbread Linzer Cookies recipe a try!
- If you love eggnog, these Crinkled Gluten Free Eggnog Cookies are delicious.
- Full of roasted chestnut flavor, these Gluten Free Roasted Chestnut Cookies are perfect for the holidays.
- Candy canes add lots of minty flavor to these Gluten Free Chocolate Madeleines.
Note this post was updated from an older October 2019 post with more recipe details.
📖 Recipe
Gluten Free Swiss Brunsli Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 ¾ cups almond flour * see note
- 1 cup sugar
- 6 ounces chocolate finely chopped/shaved
- 1 ½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 2 egg whites
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350º F.
- Add almond flour, sugar, and spices to a bowl and whisk to blend.
- In a microwave-safe bowl, add the chocolate and melt. I like to melt 20 seconds at a time, stirring between each 20-second interval so the chocolate doesn't burn.
- In a large bowl, add the egg whites and mix on high speed with an electric mixer until the egg whites form stiff peaks.
- Add the melted chocolate and almond flour mixture to the egg whites and gently fold together to mix.
- Place the cookie dough onto a piece of wax paper and wrap it. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.
- Remove the cookie dough and roll it out to ¼ inch thickness.
- Use a star-shaped cookie cutter to cut out the cookies.
- Place the cookie stars onto a parchment paper-lined cookie sheet and bake for 10 minutes. Remove onto a cooling rack.
- Optional: dust with powdered sugar.
Notes
- You do not want to use cocoa powder for this recipe.
- I recommend using almond flour and not almond meal because almond meal is much thicker of a grind.
- These cookies will keep up to 4 days in an air-tight container, or up to 4 months in the freezer.
SPECIAL NOTE
Please know that every gluten free flour blend has a different starch to grain ratio. If you use a blend I didn't test, you may need to adjust your moisture levels in your baked goods.
Nutrition
Nutrition Disclaimer
Nutritional information is an estimate provided to you as a courtesy. You should calculate the actual nutritional information with the products and brands you are using with your preferred nutritional calculator.
If you love the recipes you find on my blog, I would love for you to sign up for my newsletter (and get my free gluten free lemon dessert e-cookbook!)
Elizabeth Rickenbach
What kind of chocolate is used? Unsweetened, semisweet, bittersweet, milk chocolate? Can you use chopped chocolate? I do not see a link.
Sandi Gaertner
You can definitely use chopped chocolate. I used shaved, but any ground chocolate should work.
Adrienne
Can you make these with a different type flour other than almond? Maybe coconut?
Sandi Gaertner
Hi Adrienne, this recipe won't work with other flours. I would look for a chocolate cut out sugar cookie recipe if you want to replicate the stars. Coconut flour absorbs a ton of liquid, the opposite of how almond flour behaves.
Nancy
When do you add the sugar?
Sandi Gaertner
Hi Nancy, it goes in with the almond flour. I clarified the directions so it is easier to see. Thank you :-).
Kim
These cookies look wonderful! What is the difference between 'ground chocolate' and cocoa powder? The chocolate product you linked to has the horrid 'may contain wheat' label so I will not chose that particular brand.
Sandi Gaertner
Hi Kim, I clarified in the recipe more, I hope it helps. Ground chocolate is more like shaved chocolate...which is sweetened and melts differently from cocoa powder. You are right the wrong shaved chocolate was linked. Thank you :-).